TradeVine entertainment news highlights for week ending January 3rd 2014 with Roxy Shih

THE PURPOSE OF THE TRADEVINE IS TO ENCOURAGE THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY TO READ THEIR TRADES: VARIETY, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, BACK STAGE, ETC. ENJOY LEARNING ABOUT YOUR INDUSTRY.

EACH FRIDAY, THE TRADEVINE SEEKS OUT A FEW OF THE INFORMATIVE TRADE ARTICLES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED. VISIT THE TRADE, ITSELF, FOR THE ENTIRE ARTICLE.

Hi everybody, I’m Roxy Shih of the Actors Reporter and welcome to the TradeVine. Welcome to the New Year. Our goal at the TradeVine is to help you stay informed and to keep up with some of the entertainment news you may have missed in the Trades, such as The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Backstage.

Back Stage, December 30th – 3 Questions to Ask Yourself at Year’s End, by Denise Simon.

Denise Simon
Denise Simon

For much of the entertainment industry, the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is a rare moment to slow down.Take a moment this holiday season to shut out the shopping and slow down the rush. Connect with your family and friends and the values that matter most in your life. See this moment as an opportunity to reflect on the past year. Ask yourself the following questions:1. Have you made strides toward mastering your craft?2. Do you feel empowered?3. Are you enjoying the journey?

Hollywood Reporter, December 31 – ‘The Hobbit’ Tops List of 2013’s Most Pirated Movies, by Eriq Gardner.
hobbit photo

The first installment of Peter Jackson’s trilogy and Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” were both illegally downloaded more than 8 million times this past year. Released last December, The Hobbit made over a billion dollars at the global box office. It was also one of the most expensive films ever made. Peter Jackson, the film’s director, wasn’t immediately available to comment on the news. In recent years, Jackson has been quiet about the topic of piracy. In 2005, though, upon the release of King Kong, he warned of a dire future. Piracy has the very real potential of tipping movies into becoming an unprofitable industry, he told The New York Times. If that happens, they will stop being made.

Variety, December 27th – Oscars: Why Not World’s Best Picture? by Steven Gaydos.

Oscars Best Photo
Oscars Best Photo

When the Oscars modified the best picture category in 2009 and instituted an annual list of up to 10 nominees, the intention may have been to ensure that critically acclaimed blockbusters like the Oscar-overlooked “The Dark Knight” would bulk up the viewing audiences for the telecast. It may have helped the blockbuster “Avatar” make the cut that year, but in the following years it appears to have boosted the fortunes of smaller films such as “Winter’s Bone” and, even more excitingly, foreign-language films like “Amour.” The truth is, with very few exceptions, only American teams play the Oscar game.Over the decades, no matter how monumental the contributions of foreign-language directors who changed the vocabulary of cinema were lucky to get their foreign-language film recognitions and the occasional writing or directing nod. And there’s the Oscar lesson, proven year after year: You might win with a dark vision, but in general, keep it light and keep it in English.

I’m your host Roxy Shih. Thank you for watching. Please send any questions or comments to TradeVine@ActorsReporter.com And, remember, you heard it through the TradeVine.

The TradeVine is a weekly entertainment news highlights show on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.